Jim Ramsey never dreamed he would become a leader in the satellite communications industry. He just wanted to be a soldier. But his U.S. Army superiors had other ideas. They decided to transfer him from infantry to combat support, specifically as an officer in the Signal Corps. Ramsey was anything but happy about his impending transfer in the late 1980s.

Using both technology solutions and training initiatives, the General Services Administration is assisting other federal agencies in providing easy-to-locate and clearly written information both on the Web and through other data sources.

A MARKET FOR THE NEW GENERATION of information technology tools is growing in the Czech Republic despite economic challenges taking place around the globe. Spending on security products is one area of growth, as the nation has followed the path of other countries worldwide to become more security conscious.

The word transparency is used in many different places but with different results. Transparency is what we want in Congress, friendships, relationships and processes, as well as in city council meetings, school board decisions, neighborhood association rules and acquisition strategies. However, in today’s world, very few things are opaque—particularly when it comes to the process of government procurement. What should be an extremely transparent process remains one of the most coveted havens of secrecy, power and waste, and we all pay the price.

New security concerns are vying with the global financial crisis as NATO’s Allied Command Transformation attempts to keep abreast of the dynamic field of global security. Gen. Stéphane Abrial, FRAF, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, opened the eighth ACT Industry Day held in London in September by emphasizing that affordability is today’s important word.

The increasing complexity of government networks is compelling managers to turn to solutions for monitoring that are as diverse as the networks they operate. Their needs are varied, but their goal is the same. In this era of electronic government, departments and agencies continually search for ways to improve network performance and ensure that the networks remain healthy and robust.

Commanders in Afghanistan are experiencing a reduced decision cycle through use of a radio that extends the network down to—and provides situational awareness at—the lowest levels while allowing warfighters to access the network while on the move.

The U.S. Defense Department may become its own cellular provider. This move, which would involve centralizing control of mobile devices, would improve security and potentially save money.

The People's Liberation Army Navy has at its disposal a variety of boats and ships for use in littoral waters. They are organized under separate maritime agencies that carry out specific missions officially similar to their counterparts in other countries. Yet, despite their diverse nature, these vessels together constitute an unofficial fourth fleet for the Middle Kingdom's navy.

A recently released report from researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, predicts an explosion of cell phone threats in the coming months and reveals newly emerging vulnerabilities, including weaknesses in mobile device browsers.